Zoe Lancaster’s expression changed. No wonder Ken Lowell had called her back. So she was the one taking the fall for this?
With Mr. Joyce kneeling before her, how was she supposed to show her face in the Hawthorne Residence? Besides, everyone knew perfectly well she didn’t have the capability to pull something like this off. It was incredibly difficult for someone outside that social circle to sneak into such a private party and secretly film anything. Yet, with Mr. Joyce kneeling to her now, fiction was being spun into fact. It made it look as though she were the villain destroying the relationship between the Hawthorne and Joyce families.
Zoe pursed her lips, glancing at Simon Hawthorne before she spoke. "Mr. Joyce, I don’t quite understand what you’re saying. Miss Joyce and I aren’t even that familiar with each other. Where would this offense even come from?"
Mr. Joyce wiped his tears, his gaze complicated. "I know you harbor resentment toward Stella, and it’s too late to say anything now. But this is a grave matter. You can’t just frame her for something so serious over trivial romantic jealousies!"
Zoe found it laughable. Were they truly father and daughter? He had dragged her down with them without giving her a chance to explain. Now, he was practically stating outright that she was the one who had harmed Stella Joyce. His intentions were downright vicious! She looked at Simon’s expression. He was merely sipping his tea absentmindedly, seemingly unfazed by her being targeted so aggressively. This poured cold water on Zoe’s already smoldering anger.
"Zoe, tell us, does this have anything to do with you or not?" Ken Lowell spoke up, the tone light but firm, expression betraying no clear motive.
Zoe gritted her teeth. Just yesterday, she had been threatened and intimidated, and today she was being forced to take the blame for this! Was Stella determined to drag her down with her even if it meant death? "I have never done anything to compromise my conscience. Mr. Joyce, I can swear to that. But can you swear on Stella’s future and life?"
"What kind of talk is that?" Mrs. Hawthorne, holding her Buddha beads, finally spoke up, her gaze sharp. "How improper!"
Cold sweat rolled down Zoe’s back. She had no other choice. With Stella’s situation still up in the air, Zoe’s own position in the Hawthorne family was already precarious. If she truly got dragged down into this mess, what good would come of it for her?
The elder Mr. Joyce also frowned, though he withheld his opinion.
The younger Mr. Joyce persisted, "Mrs. Hawthorne is now part of the Hawthorne Family. She should act prudently instead of doing things that disgrace the family name! The Joyce family is a benefactor to the Hawthorne family. How many injuries has my father suffered for the Hawthornes? How did things end up like this!" These words, overtly and covertly, backed the Hawthorne family into a corner. If the Hawthornes didn’t step in to help, they would truly earn a reputation for being ungrateful.
Mrs. Hawthorne frowned. "Is this truly what the Joyce family thinks?"
The elder Mr. Joyce quickly spoke up, "Martin was just speaking out of anger. Please don’t take offense, Mrs. Hawthorne. He’s just lost his head over Stella being harmed. How could we ever forget the kindness the Hawthornes have shown the Joyce family?"
It had to be said that the elder Mr. Joyce was a smart man. The Joyce family was successfully playing both good cop and bad cop. Now, the Hawthorne family had no choice but to wade into these muddy waters!
"If you ask me, Zoe shouldn’t be throwing a temper tantrum. It’s not worth making such a huge mess over relationship issues, is it?" Cecilia Sloan fanned the flames. "Look at what this has turned into. The Hawthorne family hasn’t been the subject of such vicious gossip in years."
Zoe looked at her coldly. "Miss Sloan’s presence here is certainly glamorous." There was no way she was going to let herself be bullied like this! As a mistress who had audaciously moved into the same house as the lawful wife, hadn’t she been the subject of enough vicious gossip herself?
Cecilia’s face darkened. She hadn’t expected Zoe to be so venomous. Even Ken Lowell, who was sitting nearby, cast a dark glance at Cecilia. What an unpresentable thing! Was it her place to speak on such an occasion?
After all, this was a family scandal. Mrs. Hawthorne slammed her hand on the table, her face cold. "Enough! Why add fuel to the fire? Isn’t this troublesome enough as it is?"
Cecilia shrank back, not daring to step out of line again.
Zoe bit her lip. She knew that Mrs. Hawthorne was also displeased with her for bringing up such a topic, but what else could she do? There was no way she was going to swallow this injustice in silence.
"Framed?" Finally, Simon Hawthorne, who had been staying out of the fray the entire time, slowly spoke up. He rubbed the silver pinky ring on his finger, his emotions indiscernible. "Stella is currently in custody undergoing a drug test. Won’t there be a definitive conclusion soon as to whether she was framed for doing that sort of thing? When she started using, or if she was coerced and forced to inject yesterday—would that really be so hard to investigate?"
With that single sentence, the expressions on the faces of both the elder and younger Mr. Joyce turned completely foul.
Simon raised his eyes, his tone laced with apparent helplessness. "I was unaware that the Hawthorne family had earned such a reputation for ingratitude in the eyes of the Joyce family. Grandpa Joyce, isn’t that a bit too heartbreaking?"
The elder Mr. Joyce couldn’t keep his composure. "Mr. Simon..."
Simon sighed slowly. "Back when the elder Mr. Joyce fell ill, my grandfather directly transferred the ownership of a company in Riventon to you and gave you numerous properties—more than enough to ensure the Joyce family’s prosperity and wealth for generations. As for recent years... Mr. Joyce has been secretly running a casino, repeatedly using the Hawthorne name to greenlight his operations and stirring up plenty of trouble. The Hawthorne family has turned a blind eye to all of it. If we were to bring each and every one of those incidents to light, they would amount to no small crime, Grandpa Joyce...
"The Hawthorne family can also feel a chill in their hearts."
That single, casually delivered sentence caused the elder Mr. Joyce’s expression to fill with sheer terror. Even the younger Mr. Joyce’s eyes darted around evasively; all those illicit dealings at his underground casino were not things that could see the light of day.
"There are such things going on?" Mrs. Hawthorne chimed in, looking genuinely surprised. Her brows knitted tightly together in apparent displeasure, her aura growing even more oppressive.
Simon suddenly grabbed Zoe’s hand beside him. Zoe started in surprise. His dark eyes stared at her unblinkingly as he continued, "As for Mr. Joyce claiming that my wife framed her, everyone sitting here knows perfectly well what my relationship with Stella actually is. The only reason Stella has been able to tie herself to my name in front of the media for her own gain is entirely because my wife chose not to make a fuss about it. Stella may be young and ignorant, but surely Grandpa Joyce and Mr. Joyce aren’t equally foolish?"
It was a calm narration, yet it served as a stark, undeniable warning. The younger Mr. Joyce’s face turned exceptionally grim.
Zoe couldn’t even recover her wits for a long moment. What did Simon mean by that? What exactly was his relationship with Stella?
"Mr. Simon..." The elder Mr. Joyce looked utterly disgraced. He had originally come here to morally blackmail the Hawthorne family into continuing to help them, so how had things turned out like this?
"Now that Stella is caught up in this scandal, after being tied to her for so long, the Hawthorne Group’s reputation is suffering. We’re facing negative impacts and a volatile stock market. Grandpa Joyce, what do you expect the Hawthorne Group to do?"
Zoe listened in stunned bewilderment. Why did it seem like... the tides had turned? How had Simon become the one doing the moral blackmailing?
The hand the elder Mr. Joyce used to grip his cane was trembling. After holding it in for a long time, he finally yielded out of sheer necessity. "We will personally step forward and clarify that Stella has absolutely no relationship with Mr. Simon! We absolutely will not allow the Hawthorne family to be implicated in this!"
With that, he bowed to Mrs. Hawthorne. "Apologies for disturbing you, Mrs. Hawthorne." He shot a rigid, tense glare at his son. "Are you going to go sort out that ungrateful child’s mess or not!" He had no face left to stay at the Hawthorne Residence!
The younger Mr. Joyce’s face turned pale and then green. Just as he turned to leave, he cast one last glance at Zoe. It was a look that seemed to harbor many unspeakable secrets, and he said cryptically, "Mr. Simon, even if Stella isn’t important enough in your heart, surely when it comes to that other person... you should at least show some concern?"
Zoe wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination. But after he said those words, a ripple of emotion finally surfaced in Simon’s eyes. It was as if he had mentioned something—or someone—that Simon truly cared about.